The Microsoft Azure team is continuing to improve their blockchain ecosystem, otherwise known as Project Bletchley. Just last month we saw the implementation in Azure Marketplace to develop and deploy blockchain networks from the Azure Portal. Today, they announced that two new partners, Ethcore and Blockstack, have joined the project in the Marketplace with their own solutions.

Ethcore’s published their Parity Ethereum node onto Azure. This blockchain client makes it possible for users to set up their own private Ethereum network for development within minutes compared.

Furthermore, Blockstack has added their hat in the ring with an architecture that can let users control their own data. The Blockstack Core v14 provides a platform to build decentralized apps without a server. Now that it has nodes available on Microsoft Azure, users can likewise access the functionality to process insights of apps and get a full view of security measures.

The team has more in store for Project Bletchley as more partners jump into the Azure Marketplace integration.

In a post on the Azure blog, Microsoft previewed a look at the upcoming Azure Cloud Console. Azure users are likely familiar with the Azure portal, but Microsoft wants to provide a more useful interface experience with the Azure Cloud Console.

Traditionally, cloud interfaces are offered via a web-based graphical interface, much like Azure portal, or via a command line terminal interface. In both instances, these types of interfaces are useful, depending on their uses, but Microsoft found that many Azure users use both interfaces to manage their Azure applications. Switching between these interfaces also takes some time and delays productivity and efficiency. Thus, Microsoft decided to create the Azure Cloud Console.

The Azure Cloud Console is an integrated interface that allows users to build their applications on Azure using both graphical and command-line tools. Today, Microsoft is giving a preview of the Azure Cloud Console in action, take a look at these two video examples:

Azure Cloud Console: Deploy a VM

Azure Cloud Console: GIT

At launch, Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Console will offer three key features:

• Automatic authentication to the command line tools from your existing web login
• All Azure command line tools, as well as relevant command line utilities pre-installed
• Personalized, persistent work space that preserves your code, configuration and activity across cloud shell sessions

If you are willing to test and give feedback on Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Console, you can sign up here. Azure Cloud Console should be available via general availability in the next few months.

Despite Microsoft’s very public retreat from the smartphone market, the company is adversely putting resources into helping others by way of its Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) tool.

Microsoft’s general manager of EMS product marketing Andrew Conway announced today that the company’s EMS tool will be gaining a set of new additions that include:

At the 2016 Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS) Conference in Barcelona, Cray Inc. released details of a report on deep learning that was developed in partnership with Microsoft and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), a reputable super computing institution. In the report, Cray supercomputers were using deep learning algorithms running at scale.

Microsoft and Cray found that there is a significant scientific advantage at running larger deep learning models, but that too much time is wasted creating training the deep learning models. Thus, Cray worked with Microsoft and CSCS to use the Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (previously known as CNTK) running at scale on a Cray XC50 supercomputer at CSCS nicknamed “Piz Daint”.

Cray, Microsoft, and CSCS scaled Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit to more than 1,000 NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPU accelerators on “Piz Daint.” With the help of Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit, data scientists and researchers will be able to run bigger and more complicated deep learning projects at scale.

Director of the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), Dr. Thomas C. Schulthess explains how Cray contributed to their collaboration:

“Cray’s proficiency in performance analysis and profiling, combined with the unique architecture of the XC systems, allowed us to bring deep learning problems to our Piz Daint system and scale them in a way that nobody else has. What is most exciting is that our researchers and scientists will now be able to use our existing Cray XC supercomputer to take on a new class of deep learning problems that were previously infeasible.”

Instead of waiting weeks or months for deep learning models to complete the training process, Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit helped data scientists get results within hours or even minutes in some cases. By improving the speed of deep learning frameworks, there are more opportunities to solve solve supercomputing issues, including moving from image recognition to video recognition, or switching from simple speech recognition to natural language processing with context.

In addition to Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit, Microsoft, Cray, and CSCS used the Cray XC Aries network and a high performance MPI library, adding the ability to leverage more computing resources for each individual deep learning model, thus reducing the training time.

Microsoft AI and Research’s renowned Dr. Xuedong Huang added his take on the collaboration and Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit’s role:

“Applying a supercomputing approach to optimize deep learning workloads represents a powerful breakthrough for training and evaluating deep learning algorithms at scale. Our collaboration with Cray and CSCS has demonstrated how the Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit can be used to push the boundaries of deep learning.”

Cray’s director of deep learning and machine learning, Dr. Mark S. Staveley, remarked on how Microsoft helped Cray:

“We are working to unlock possibilities around new approaches and model sizes, turning the dreams and theories of scientists into something real that they can explore. Our collaboration with Microsoft and CSCS is a game changer for what can be accomplished using deep learning.”

Microsoft has taken their commitment to diversity quite seriously in the last few years. However, in Microsoft Netherlands, only nine percent of technological positions are filled by women.

We know that Microsoft as a whole has been suffering from the Nokia employee layoffs and has been making active efforts to encourage and hire more females into their company. According to the General Manager of Microsoft Netherland, Ernst-Jan Stigter, diversity is not a ‘nice to have’ it is a ‘need to have.’ That is why Microsoft Netherlands invited thirteen other organizations to a recent event to sign the Diversity Charter.

The Charter is a voluntary commitment to promote and provide for a diverse workplace. This includes a variety of ages, genders, orientations, cultures, ethnicities, and religions.

The event to gather and sign the Diversity Charter was driven by studies that have shown companies with more variety have more successful innovations and are generally just more satisfied with their jobs. Companies that have signed the Diversity Charter intend to provide equal opportunity for the belief that more difference in its employees will beget a more productive and efficient workplace.

There isn’t any legal obligation for these companies to act upon their commitment. In fact, the Charter signature is merely an act of ethical code. However, it’s still good to see organizations such as Microsoft Netherlands making these goals.

Intel Security announced their newest integration for the True Key application today to work with Windows Hello. More specifically, Windows 10 users can use the True Key extension for Microsoft Edge to keep all of their accounts safer.

The True Key application by Intel is a singular sign in to protect passwords across their account. The app also fills in log in credentials automatically and can work across multiple browsers seamlessly. True Key can lock all of this information behind unique identifiers such as facial recognition, fingerprints, or any other multi-factor authentication methods.

This is the start of a ‘password-free future’ according to Richard Reiner, CTO of True Key. As he explained in the press statement:

“The password problem won’t disappear overnight, which is why working with Windows Hello is a big step in the shared vision between Intel Security and Microsoft of a password-free future. By providing True Key app users with enhanced multi-factor protection and support for dynamic web form-filling – we continue to build an application that will encourage better password management and online security.”

Alongside the announcement True Key also got an update with improved authentication methods and can now support mobile browsers. Here’s what else they’ve added:

• Additional Desktop Browser Support: In addition to supporting Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Chrome, the True Key app now supports the Firefox web browser for a seamless and more secure desktop browsing experience.
• Advanced Login Preferences for Mobile Devices: Android and iOS users can now combine up to three different authentication factors to log in to their True Key app account. Users can select from factors such as their face, fingerprint, trusted device or a master password to log in to their True Key application.
• Enhanced Android Features and Browser Support: Android users can now log in to the True Key app using their fingerprint as an authentication method, untrust a lost or unused PC or mobile device, and use the native Android browser or Opera browser to surf the web safely and securely.

While users can only store fifteen credential pairings for free, the premium $20 yearly subscription will give you unlimited use. If you’d like to try out the True Key extension for Microsoft Edge, you can download it from the Windows Store by clicking the Appbox below. Afterward, enable Windows Hello in your security preferences to take full advantage of the app’s features.

If you’d like to try out the True Key extension for Microsoft Edge, you can download it from the Windows Store by clicking the Appbox below. Afterward, enable Windows Hello in your security preferences to take full advantage of the app’s features.

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True Key

Developer:
McAfee LLC.

Price:
Free

The holiday season is usually a great period to take advantage of interesting discounts on electronics, catch up with the latest movies, TV shows and games, and of course spend time with your family and close ones. But for the video games fans among our readers, the Xbox team shared this week a few tips to help you make the best use of your Xbox One or Windows 10 PCs during the holidays, highlighting the fact that the Xbox ecosystem has become nearly ubiquitous this year.

First of all, if you don’t use the Xbox app a lot on your Windows 10 PC, you really should: since Microsoft shipped the Windows 10 Anniversary Update in August, the Xbox app has received several new features and now integrates with popular Win32 (non-Windows Store) games. Here are some examples of what you can do with this app on your Windows 10 PC:

• Chat with your friends on Xbox Live through text and voice and create party chats to stay connected with your friends when playing a multiplayer game.
• Use the Game Bar (press the Windows key + G) to capture screenshots and videos of your gaming moments, edit them with the Xbox app and share them on Xbox Live
• Use the new Clubs and Looking for Groups features to create your own gaming community or easily find people to play with.
• Use Xbox Live’s Game Hubs to get the latest news about your favorite games and see what other gamers are sharing.
• If you own an Xbox One, you can use the Windows 10 Xbox app to stream your Xbox One games to any Windows 10 PC on your home network.

If you’re interested in Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, then the Windows 10 Xbox app will even more useful to you. As a reminder, buying a digital copy of an Xbox Play Anywhere title will allow you to play the game on both your Xbox One and Windows 10 PC at no additional cost, with shared progress and achievements.

You can start playing on your Xbox One and pick up where you left off on your PC, and you can also use the Windows 10 Xbox app to keep track of your achievements, create party chats for cross-platform multiplayer games such as Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 and more.

Lastly, if you’re traveling and lot and need a powerful laptop to play your favorites games anywhere, Microsoft has you covered. For a limited time, the US Microsoft Store is offering great discounts on two gaming laptops from Asus and Alienware:

• Save $500 on the ASUS ROG G752VL-UH71T Signature Edition ($1,299)
• Save $700 on the Alienware 15 Touch Signature Edition ($1,799), which also includes an Intel Gaming Bundle promotion ($200 value) including the following nine free games: Ashes of the Singularity, Astroblast! Space Squad, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, SCRABBLE, RISK, World of Tanks, World of Warcraft, World of Warships, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2017, PCmover Express and Wheel of Fortune.

Do you plan to play a lot of games during the holidays, and if so what will be your favorite gaming device? Let us know some details about your holiday gaming plans in the comments below.

Inky is the new PDF reader on the block that supports ink annotations. Launched as Dink, and then renamed, Inky is a UWP app compatible with both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.

Still in beta, Inky is an app to read and modify PDF files that also supports annotations. With support for Windows Ink, you can not only use the pen for annotations on Windows 10 devices like the Surface, but you can also add annotations on Windows 10 Mobile devices with touch.

You can create notebooks and add PDFs to the same using drag and drop and share the documents with anyone from within the app.

Inky is free at the moment, although ad-supported. It works well for most parts, but the user experience could be more intuitive. It took me a while to understand what notebooks are and where are my files were getting saved. But it’s in beta, so hopefully things would get better. Download Inky from the Windows Store, and let us know how you like it.

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Inky – PDF Reader & Editor & Converter

Developer:
Andrea Del Bello

Price:
Free

Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Accelerator and Wipro Limited have entered into a partnership to provide startups in India with greater opportunities to innovate and grow their business. The announcement was made at Think Next 2016, which is the Accelerator’s flagship event that brings together thought leaders who are driving transformation via innovation.

Under the partnership, Wipro will refer select startups for Microsoft Accelerator programs and events. These referred startups will also gain access to Wipro Open Innovation initiatives such as Global GTM reach to rapidly build scale, an opportunity to integrate their solutions with select Wipro solutions, targeted Wipro marketing support for proactive business opportunities, and more. The partnership is also part of the Microsoft Accelerator #CoInnovate program which provides startups with more go-to-market (GTM) opportunities by working with enterprise businesses.

In a statement, Bala Girisaballa the CEO-In-Residence at Microsoft Accelerator commented on the Microsoft Accelerator #CoInnovate program and the partnership with Wipro.

“Microsoft Accelerator #CoInnovate program bridges the gap between corporates and startups. Connecting startups to corporates and crafting a win-win relationship is a critical need of the ecosystem today. The partnership with Wipro allows us to leverage our combined strengths and market reach to provide a whole new level of market access for our startups.”

Similarly, K.R. Sanjiv the Chief Technology Officer at Wipro Limited also commented on the partnership.

“Wipro has built strong connects in the global startup ecosystem, over the last three years, as part of our focus on building new open innovation capabilities. We are confident that our partnership with Microsoft Accelerator will be an important enabler in developing critical solutions for our customers, harnessing both the innovation taking place within Wipro and the external ecosystem.”

The Microsoft Accelerator is a global program built to empower startups. Wipro, meanwhile, is a leading information technology, consulting and business process services company.

A new, completely red, Xbox One controller is launching in January 2017 and it will be a GameStop exclusive. The new red controller can be pre-ordered now for $64.99 and is expected to release on January 10th. Here are the official details that confirm that it’s one of the newer models that also work with Windows 10 devices.

Experience the enhanced comfort and feel of the new Xbox Wireless Controller, featuring a sleek, streamlined design and textured grip. Enjoy custom button mapping and up to twice the wireless range. Plug in any compatible headset with the 3.5mm stereo headset jack. And with Bluetooth® technology, play your favorite games on Windows 10 PCs and tablets.

Do you like specially designed Xbox One controllers? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below.

The official Windows 10 USA Today app has updated and now supports functionality for Microsoft’s Xbox One video game console. This means that the app can now be used across updated Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile devices, Xbox One, and HoloLens. Here’s the official app description:

Updated for Windows 10. The latest news stories, photos, and videos you’ve come to expect from USA TODAY are now available in a beautiful way on your phone, tablet, or desktop. Staying informed has never been this quick, easy, or enjoyable.

Do you enjoy watching USA Today? What other media apps do you watch on Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below.

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USA TODAY

Developer:
USA TODAY

Price:
Free

Goat Simulator: PAYDAY is now available to download and play on the Xbox One. This sequel to the original Goat Simulator features several new animals and a variety of new challenges and unlockables but does require the original Goat Simulator to be installed to function which kind of makes it more downloadable content (DLC) than a standalone sequel. Here’s the official game description:

Introducing Goat Simulator: PAYDAY, the latest in goat simulation technology. Being a goat has never been this realistic! Includes four awesome goats. Be a camel, flamingo or even a dolphin in a wheelchair, there are no limits (except the 4 playable goats). Use your goat crew to smash & grab, then blast away all your money at Goat Gambling. Buy things using your easy-earned cash. Mostly masks. Okay only masks. Unlock new, even dumber stuff.

Buy Goat Simulator: PAYDAY on Xbox One

Are you a fan of Goat Simulator and will you be buying PAYDAY? Let us know in the comments below.

As Microsoft continues to pivot towards the cloud, it appears the company is trying to drag some of its old stalwarts in the enterprise arena, into the world of cloud computing as well.

Microsoft’s corporate VP of the company’s worldwide partner group Gavriella Schuster recently announced a new Azure training course intended to provide a self-paced environment to learn about the cloud.

These courses are designed to help partners respond to the surging demand, realize positive returns, and grow their market opportunity. Technology professionals can start with our Azure Fundamentals or those wishing to become multi-cloud specialists can check out our Azure for AWS Experts courses, or dive right into more specific courses like Azure Storage or Azure Networks. It’s also a great way to strengthen customer dialogue about what cloud technology can do for their business.

The details of the courses include an initial six-session course that Schuster notes, “we’re adding six more in the next few weeks – with more coming over the next few months!”, as well as opportunities for Azure certification as steep discounts for participants.

The new Azure training course is being added to the Microsoft Virtual Academy and the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as part of the company’s investment in technical training for the next frontier of computing.

According to IDC, hiring managers find candidates with certifications easier to fill in positions to the tune of 25% as well as more productive than peers without.

Also, “And compared to their peers, Microsoft certified developers are 90% percent more productive and nearly 60% percent more efficient.”

It would seem that not only is Microsoft’s new cloud-focused courses a benefit for early adopters, but may soon become a requirement for anyone looking for a job in an enterprise environment in the future.

Following Microsoft’s $26 billion takeover bid of LinkedIn earlier this year, the Redmond giant had to obtain many regulatory approvals in the US and other countries to complete its biggest acquisition ever. Today, the European Commission was the last institution which had to rule on the buyout but Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith has just announced that the deal has finally been given the all clear. “We’ve now obtained all of the regulatory approvals needed to complete the acquisition, and the deal will close in the coming days,” he explained.

As Salesforce (which also tried to buy the professional social network) previously made moves to block Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn in the European Union, we reported last month that Redmond promised the EU that LinkedIn APIs would remain available to other companies going forward. Today, Smith reiterated Microsoft’s commitment to let LinkedIn remain an open platform, and these are the five specific points that Microsoft has promised to respect to for the next five years:

• We’ll continue to make our Office Add-in program available to third-party professional social networking services. The Office Add-in program enables developers to integrate their services into Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel, providing users an enhanced experience using Office. As we continue to improve this program, these improvements will be available to third-party professional social networking services.
• We’ll continue to make promotional opportunities in the Office Store available to third-party professional social networking services.
• We’ll ensure that IT administrators and users can customize their Office experience by choosing whether to display in the user interface the LinkedIn profile and activity information that may be integrated in the future.
• If we develop a LinkedIn application or a tile for Windows PCs and include it in Windows, we’ll allow PC manufacturers to choose not to install them on their Windows PCs in the European Economic Area, or EEA. Similarly, we’ll ensure that users can uninstall the application and tile if they wish. We also won’t use Windows itself to prompt users to install a LinkedIn application, although it can remain available in the Windows Store and be promoted in other ways.
• In the EEA we won’t enter into agreements with PC manufacturers for pre-installation of a Windows LinkedIn application or tile that would favor LinkedIn on an exclusive basis and thereby bar the distribution of competing professional social networking services.

Interestingly, the Chief Legal Officer also reflected on recent political events such as the Brexit vote in the UK as well as the election of Donald Trump in the US. “On both sides of the Atlantic, it has become increasingly apparent that many people feel left out and unable to participate in the economic growth and opportunities created by the rising digital economy. While technology tools are not a panacea for current economic challenges, we believe they can make an important contribution,” he explained

Indeed, LinkedIn has become much more than a professional social network as of today: it’s increasingly becoming a true economic graph, with many features for job seekers (including freelancers) and professionals wanting to develop new skills with the new LinkedIn Learning platform. “Microsoft and LinkedIn together have a bigger opportunity to help people online to develop and earn credentials for new skills, identify and pursue new jobs, and become more creative and productive as they work with their colleagues,” shared Smith, before adding that both companies could “help governments use better data and analytical capabilities to pursue economic development strategies to help connect people with new opportunities.”

Overall, the exec acknowledged that with great power comes great responsibilities, even though he also admitted that “no single company can come close to solving the many economic challenges that confront the world today.” It remains to be seen how Microsoft will use LinkedIn’s very valuable data to help improve economic opportunities for everyone, but Smith seems quite optimistic about it. “Across the private and public sectors, we all will need to come together and act with a sense of shared responsibility,” he added.

In 2002, Microsoft released a commercial for the original Xbox that got banned in the UK. As you can see, the controversial commercial was a bit unorthodox in trying to attract people to buy an Xbox.  Titled Champagne, the commercial aired in 2002 in the UK.

The TV ad shows a man being born like he is being shot out of cannon and rapidly ages as he flies through the air. The commercial ends with the old man crash landing into his grave. The commercial tagline is “Life is short, play more.” The UK’s Independent Television Commission (ITC) received 136 complaints from viewers about the commercial and it was banned from TV. Viewers didn’t find the birth scene particularly upsetting, but a large portion of the complaints came from people who found the theme of death disturbing.

The ITC also issued a warning to the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Center (agency that approved commercials) to avoid commercials that involve death because they can be upsetting to the general TV audience. Commercials apparently were subject to different standards as to TV programs that involve death. ITC’s position was that because there were no warning at the beginning of the Xbox commercial, viewers would be unaware of the possibly disturbing subject matter.

ITC’s banning of the Xbox commercial had the opposite intended purpose; the ad became the most successful Xbox commercial in the UK market. Essentially, it went viral before YouTube existed. Harvey Eagle, a UK advertising manager, joined Xbox in 2000 and was tasked with creating the commercial. Eagle was given the daunting task of defining the Xbox brand Europe.

Eagle reminisces about what led to the creation of the infamous Xbox commercial in his interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

“I remember that there was no rule book, none of us had launched a console before, and it was a very exciting time to be part of that small launch team. We were heading into the unknown at a really rapid rate, and it was the thrill of knowing that we had a small bunch of people who were absolutely committed to trying to make this work. We were able to really work on something that we think is quite unique in terms of a career opportunity. There aren’t that many people that gets the chance to work on something that big, from scratch, with such a small group of dedicated people.”

Eagle did not create the idea for the Xbox commercial himself, instead it was an idea that was pitched to him by a a pair of “renowned marketing creatives,” although the idea was not intended for TV at all.

“I remember that we set out to create a piece of content that would get shared virally and that we thought would be a really cool way to introduce people to the Xbox brand. The ad agency at the time we were working with was BBH [Bartle Bogle Hegarty], and within BBH we had been assigned a young upcoming creative team, who were French and were two guys called Fred and Farid. They were a highly talented, very prolific creative team.”

Champagne, originally called “Missile,” was one of the many ideas that were pitched to Eagle. Eagle thought it would be the best commercial idea because it was one of the simplest ideas.

“I always think that the very best ideas are the ones that are simple enough to be described in just a few of sentences. They basically described to me that: ‘There’s a baby who catapults through the hospital window at birth, it ages from cradle to grave as it flies through the air, and then it crashes into the grave as an old man. Then words comes up that says: ‘Life is Short Play More’.” At that moment I knew that that was the one, because of its brilliant simplicity. I remember we had to crunch down the file format to under 2MB because it had to be able to be passed around over email. YouTube didn’t exist in those days, and the only method of sharing something virally was over email. I also remember inserting a tracking device, a piece of code embedded into the file, so that we could essentially track the number of shares that it was getting.”

According to the tracking device, the commercial was shared over 1 million times. Based off amount of email shares, Microsoft gave Eagle the green light. While the commercial was banned by the ITC, the commercial still went on to win several awards. To this day, Eagle believes he made the intended splash for the UK market with the Xbox brand for Microsoft: “When you’re new, you have to be clear about what you stand for as a brand. And I think that particular idea really encapsulated everything that we were trying to represent as a new brand in the video games industry.”

If you’re an Xbox Insider, you might want to head over to the system settings now and check for a system update. Microsoft released a new Xbox Insider build overnight, and it has resolved the known issues with game installations (via Windows Central.)

The latest rs1_xbox_rel_1610.161202-1900 update was available starting 6:00PM PST on 12/5 (1:00AM GMT 6/12.) According to the Xbox Forum, the update fixes the following issues:

Installation:

• Games should now install more reliably and encounter fewer installation failures on slower connections.
• Resolved an issue which prevented users from successfully downloading games.

Are you a member of the Xbox Insider program? Let us know if you have downloaded this latest build, or if you have experienced any other issues or noticed any new fixes/features by dropping us a comment below!

Enpass, the popular cross-platform, offline password manger, has just updated its Windows UWP app to version 5.2.4. With a universal app and support for Windows Hello since a while, the latest update brings Cortana integration on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.

The app’s Cortana integration works on both PCs and phones across supported languages, and allows you to fire the app using the digital assistant (Hey Cortana! Open Enpass.) or search for a specific item in Enpass. A command like Find Amazon on Enpass, for example, will show all your saved Amazon items in Enpass immediately. Of course, you’d have to enter the master password (or authenticate via Windows Hello) to unlock the app.

Also, this update brings improved field sharing. The new selective field sharing allows you to manually select the fields of your choice of any item and share them easily, instead of the whole item. This also saves the need of copying those fields and sharing them over email and is a pretty neat improvement. There are few more improvements and fixes in this update as per the change-log.

While it is a cross-platform app, Enpass doesn’t treat Windows users as second-class citizens, and have always brought the platform’s marquee features to its app. Big props to Enpass for the UWP app, and now the Cortana integration. Give it a whirl, and let us know how you like it.

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Enpass

Developer:
Sinew Software Systems Private Limited

Price:
Free

Xbox One video game, The Escapists, is getting a free content update this week that will add a new holiday-themed prison for players to play, 20 new items and craftables, and a new leaderboard for everyone to rank on. The announcement was made via the official The Escapists Twitter account earlier today which said, “Buddy the elf is back in a free wintery content update for The Escapists! Break out of Frosty Pines from Thursday 8th in new Jingle Cells!”

Buddy the elf is back in a free wintery content update for The Escapists! Break out of Frosty Pines from Thursday 8th in new Jingle Cells! pic.twitter.com/gO5Bxy44JL

— The Escapists (@Escapists_Game) December 5, 2016

The Escapists is a popular strategy game that has developed a strong loyal following of fans. The series has seen a The Walking Dead spin-off game and a series sequel, The Escapists 2, has been announced for release in 2017.

What do you think about this The Escapists news? Let us know in the comments below.

New video games, ABZU and Wand Wars, are now available to buy download and play on Microsoft’s Xbox One console. ABZU is visual adventure title made by one of the creators of the hit game, Journey, and Wand Wars is a magical sports game and is currently selling with a 25% discount. ABZU now has a 15% discount but only for Xbox Live Gold members. Here are their descriptions and links.

ABZU on Xbox One

From the artistic mind behind Journey® and Flower®, ABZÛ is a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving. Immerse yourself in a vibrant ocean world full of mystery and bursting with color and life. Perform fluid acrobatics as the Diver, using graceful swimming controls. Discover hundreds of unique species based on real creatures and form a powerful connection with the abundant sea life. Interact with schools of thousands of fish that procedurally respond to you, each other, and predators. Linger in epic seascapes and explore aquatic ecosystems modeled with unprecedented detail. Descend into the heart of the ocean where ancient secrets lie forgotten. But beware, dangers lurk in the depths. “ABZÛ” is from the oldest mythologies; AB, meaning water, and ZÛ, meaning to know. ABZÛ is the ocean of wisdom.

Buy ABZU on Xbox One

Wand Wars on Xbox One

Wand Wars is a fast-paced, top-down, magical sports game. Players ride brooms over ancient arenas, cast arcane spells and turn opponents into adorable chickens. Try to control a deadly magical sphere that bounces around the arena, increasing in speed and size over time. The game’s epic stages, colorful characters and quirky powerups generate competitive gameplay that is incredibly fun to participate in and spectate. Hone your skills and uncover the magical universe of Wand Wars in story mode or battle your way through the unlimited chaos of the Endless Trials.

Buy Wand Wars on Xbox One

Have you had a chance to play either of these games yet? Give us your impressions in the comments below.

For the past month or two, there has been a mysterious bug concerning the Windows 10 People app on both PC and mobile that’s been causing the random deletion of contact photos. It was affecting both public users and Windows Insiders (those who test preview build of the Windows 10 operating system and apps) and there appeared to be no rhyme or reason behind it.

During the last 48 hours though, the bug appears to have been fixed and images are once again populating the app. There has been no official announcement from Microsoft about the update that appears to have been done on the server side however plenty of users have begun to notice the fix on their devices, myself included.

Were you affected by this bug and do you now have your contacts’ images back again? Let us know in the comments.

Dead Rising 4 is now available to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 devices. It’s important to remember though that, unlike some other recent video games, Dead Rising 4 is not an Xbox Play Anywhere title. Buying it on Xbox One won’t unlock the Windows 10 version and visa versa. Here’s the official game description:

Dead Rising 4 marks the return of photojournalist Frank West in an all-new chapter of one of the most popular zombie game franchises of all time. All of the classic hallmarks of the ground breaking series return, including a huge array of weapons and vehicles players can combine to combat the horde ranging from the practical – to the practically insane. Players will also enjoy ambitious new features including new zombie classes, EXO Suits, and 4-player co-op multiplayer. With intense action and an unmatched level of weapon and character customization, Dead Rising 4 delivers a heart-pounding experience as players explore, scavenge and fight to survive in an epic open world sandbox. Available this holiday on Xbox One and Windows 10.

Buy Dead Rising 4 on Xbox One / Windows 10

Dead Rising 4 faces some serious competition launching so soon after Final Fantasy XV which has been incredibly popular. Reviews for Dead Rising 4 have been positive though and our own Michael Cottuli described it as a game that’s, “thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth the price tag” with over 10 hours of content and a lot of replayability.

Have you played Dead Rising 4 yet? Are you going to get it on Windows 10 or Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below.

Staying up to date on your favorite AMC shows hasn’t been any easier than it is now. Xbox One users will be able to find the recently released AMC application on the Xbox Store.

Now you can watch The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Humans, Breaking Bad and many other episodes from the convenience of your Xbox One with a few commercials, of course.

The AMC app for Xbox One works the same way as the PC version available on the Windows Store. Similar to other TV apps, many season premieres, and video extras can be accessed without signing in. However, to access full episodes and seasons available you’ll need to sign into a TV subscription provider. AT&T, DirectTV, Optimum, and Xfinity are just a few among the long list that can be viewed from the AMC for Xbox One FAQ.

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AMC

Developer:
AMC Network Entertainment LLC

Price:
Free